The present invention is concerned with a system for interconnecting panels, particularly panels of a carton or container where the panels are arranged in edge-to-edge relation either in the same plane or in planes at angles to each other between the same plane (180 degree relationship) and the typical 90 degree relationship at the corners of conventional cartons.
Panel interconnecting systems are well known, especially for the interconnection of panels along the corners or edges of a rectangular carton where the panels extend from each other usually at angles of 90 degrees. Such known fastened systems customarily include connector plates which are fastened to the panels near the 90 degree corner, together with a spring clip extended around the corner and engaging the connector plates. The prior art connection systems of the kind just referred to are not well adapted to the interconnection of panels where the panels lie in the same plane or at some angle to each other greater than the 90 degree angle, which is characteristic of the corners of typical rectangular shipping cartons.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a fastening system especially adapted to the interconnection of panels lying in or close to a common plane and providing for snug and secure fastening or interconnection of the panels in a direction across the panel joint, and the arrangement of the invention provides not only for a secure attachment of the panels to each other, but the invention also makes provision for resisting undesired relative shifting movements of the panels in directions paralleling the joint between the panels.
It is a further object of the invention to provide for convenient and simple application of the fastening components and also for ready separation of the joint, thereby contributing to the ease of assembly of shipping cartons and ready separation of the parts for reuse in subsequent packaging.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a system for panel interconnection, especially where the panels lie in the same plane and readily adapted to the interconnection of panels or panel pieces of various different sizes and shapes, so that the same fastening devices can be employed in the assembly of cartons of various sizes and shapes in some of which different numbers of panel pieces are used.
While the arrangement of the invention is of particular advantage in the interconnection of panels lying in a range from 180 degrees to less than 90 degrees, nevertheless the connector of the present invention can also be used for interconnection of panels lying in the conventional 90 degree relationship or even at sharper angular relationships.
It is also to be understood that the fastening device of the present invention is applicable not only to cartons but also to a wide variety of enclosures or the like, such as boxes, containers, vessels, structural partitioning or enclosures, and the use of the term container herein is not to be understood in a limited sense.